Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capture apparatus and a method executed by the image capture apparatus, and more particularly to an image capture apparatus that can handle images captured using an auxiliary light source and a method executed by the image capture apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
It is known that noise increases and the image quality is degraded with an increase in the film speed at the time of image capture in a dark scene, and with an increase in pixel values in an attempt to brighten a dark image that has been captured in an underexposure state. Therefore, when the amount of light used in lighting up an object is not sufficient, the amount of light is generally supplemented with the aid of an auxiliary light source, such as a flash, during image capture. However, in a case where the object is lit up at its front by auxiliary light during image capture, e.g., in a case where an auxiliary light source built in a camera is used, there is a possibility that the resultant image undesirably looks flat with few three-dimensional characteristics due to reduced shadows on the object.
To address this issue, a first embodiment of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-167376 discloses a camera that is provided with a plurality of auxiliary light sources with different light emission directions, and that presents, in a selectable manner, images obtained by performing image capture with the auxiliary light sources emitting light on an individual basis.
The method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-167376 enables a user to select an image of an object with shadows that the user likes, from among the results of image capture using the auxiliary light sources. However, the necessity to provide the camera with the plurality of auxiliary light sources leads to an increase in cost of the camera. Furthermore, as the frequency of required image capture increases with a larger number of auxiliary light sources, it takes time to select a final image. Moreover, if the object moves, e.g., closes its eyes while performing image capture multiple times, there is a possibility that a desired image cannot be obtained.